It's a Celebratory Thing
by mspink93
Summary: “Because, everyone knows that when the clock strikes 12 o’ clock, when the New Year begins, you kiss someone. It’s a celebratory thing. Besides, I was just wondering, because I know how much you want to kiss Chad.”


**I'm not quite sure how I feel about this one-shot. There are some pieces that I like, some that I'm not too hot about and others that seem extremely cliche and cheesy to me. I dunno...I guess what's more important it how you guys feel about it, huh?**

**So umm, I was feeling pretty discouraged earlier this week. I have this other story, "How Can One Wish Cause All This Trouble?", right, and I posted Chapter 3 up on Friday. But no one reviewed that Chapter at all, and it kinda broke my heart a little bit. So please, please, _please_, do not leave me feeling the same way with this story, alright? Even if it's just to tell me that you hate it with a passion, just click on that little green button down there and tell me. I beg....=[**

**Also, Sonny is about 22, and Chad is about 23, in the beginning and end of this story, alright?**

**Disclaimer : I do not own SWAC**

* * *

It's a Celebratory Thing

* * *

Sonny Munroe sat back in her chair and stretched her arms over her head, arching her back. She bit back a yawn and looked at the stack of envelopes strewn across the wooden table in front of her, her chocolate brown eyes sparkling.

"We're almost done," she assured her fiancé, who was sitting next to her. "Only 50 or so more left."

Chad Dylan Cooper stuck his bottom lip out in a child-ish pout. "Aw, Sonny, do we have to? 50 is a big number!"

She rolled her eyes in response to his behaviour. "No duh. But it's a long way away from the 300 that we started out with. Honestly, 50 seems manageable right about now."

"Can't we just...I dunno, cross a few people off of the list?" Chad reached forward and grabbed the slightly rumpled piece of computer paper from amidst the wedding invitations. It was covered in scribbles and pen marks, but the names were clearly visible, even through all of the chaos. He picked up the red pen that was in front of Sonny and tapped his chin, studying the guest list. "Like, really, do we need James Conroy to attend our wedding?"

Sonny slid another invitation into an envelope and sealed it with the wet sponge that was resting at her elbow. She smoothed out the front and then placed it in the growing "finished" pile in front of the wet sponge. After picking up a new envelope, she turned to Chad and smiled.

"I want to rub it in his face that I'm not marrying him. Well, not rub it in his face, per se. More like to show off you to him. To let him see that you're better than he ever was and ever will be."

Chad smirked. "Ok then...he can stay on the list."

Sonny rolled her eyes and shook her head slightly. Even though Chad wasn't as cocky and arrogant as he had been when they had first met, he still had an ego that was larger than the normal person's. Of course, she didn't mind. What was wrong with a little confidence in a guy, right?

"But, well...what about Selena Gomez? Can't we cross _her_ off of the list?" Chad continued. "I don't really want to have to sit through her 'I told you so's at my own wedding, you know?"

She gasped. "Chad! No! Selena and I have become really great friends, you know that! She has to come to my wedding, or else she'll never forgive me."

"Fine."

"Fine."

"Good."

"Good."

"Good!"

"So, are we good?"

"No!" Chad exclaimed, dropping the pen. "We're not! This is too many people, Sonny! Can we _at least _cross Mr. Condor off of the list? We don't work for him anymore, remember? Now Marshall is the head of Condor Studios, so we don't have to worry about being fired. Why is Mr. Condor even on here?"

Sonny gasped again. "Chad! Mr. Condor absolutely _has_ to come to our wedding! Because of him, not only did I even meet you in the first place, but it's also his fault that we were even dating!"

He raised an eyebrow. "What exactly do you mean, Sonny? I thought that we were dating because we loved each other. How does Mr. Condor make us love each other?"

The brunette blew her bangs out of her eyes. "Chad, he didn't make us _love each other_. But don't you remember the day we got together?"

"Of course I remember the day we got together. Wasn't that on New Year's?"

Sonny nodded. "Exactly. And it was all thanks to Mr. Condor..."

* * *

**4 Years Ago...**

"Tawni, which outfit is better for the New Year's party?" Sonny asked, gesturing to the clothes lain out over the couch. "The red shirt and black tights, or the green one and the skinny jeans?"

Her blonde co-star looked at the garments for exactly one second before announcing, "The red shirt with the skinny jeans, Sonny. And the high heeled red shoes with the beaded straps. Oh, and the gold necklace with the long chain and big heart pendent, with the golden bangles." Tawni turned back to her reflection and continued applying mascara to her already long eyelashes.

Sonny looked down at the two outfits and switched the pants, so that each shirt has a new bottom. "You are so right," she said slowly. "How could I have not seen that?"

"Aw, Sonny, don't beat yourself up about it," Tawni quipped, swivelling in her chair so that she faced her best friend. "I'm always right...and pretty!"

"Yeah, yeah," she replied, picking the clothes up from the couch and slinging the over her shoulder. She headed into her changing room and closed the curtain firmly before slipping out of her pyjamas and into the black skinny jeans and bright red off the shoulder shirt. She carefully hung her pyjamas on a hook beside the doorway and emerged from the changing room. Tawni, who had come out of her changing room in her party clothes also, motioned for Sonny to sit in front of her vanity.

"What are you gonna do?" Sonny asked curiously, crossing the room and settling into the high, director-style chair.

"Your hair. Apply your makeup while I do that, ok?" Tawni said. She picked up Sonny's brush and pulled it through her brown hair gently, smoothing out the curls so that they were bouncier and shinier.

Sonny smiled at Tawni in the mirror before putting on red lipstick and mascara. She wanted to look perfect, because this was her first big New Year's party at Condor Studios. They had one every year, but the first year that Sonny had arrived in California, she went back home to Wisconsin for the Christmas holidays. Then, last year, she was sick, and welcomed the New Year with a stuffy nose and bowl of chicken soup at her side. Sonny wanted this party to make up for the two that she had missed, so she had to look the part.

"So, Sonny," Tawni said casually, fluffing the ends of Sonny's hair with her fingertips. Her long fingernails, polished a bright and sparkly pink, caught the light and glittered in Sonny's eye, momentarily dazzling her.

"Tawni."

"I'm sure that you're going to talk with Chad a lot tonight, huh?"

Sonny saw, in her reflection, her cheeks instantly redden. She felt her stomach tighten, not unlike the way that it always did whenever anyone mentioned Chad. The truth was...Sonny was completely in love with the jerk-throb, not that she had ever told anyone. In fact, Chad Dylan Cooper was the reason why Sonny, at 18 years old, had never really had a true boyfriend before. She would never dream of going out with another guy, as long as she knew Chad. He was just that important to her. Not that she'd ever tell him of course.

"Maybe," she squeaked, and then cleared her throat. "I mean, possibly. Why?"

Tawni tapped Sonny's shoulders lightly, signalling that she was finished. "Because, _everyone_ knows that when the clock strikes 12 o' clock, when the New Year begins, you kiss someone. It's a celebratory thing," she waved her hand dismissively and fixed her hazel eyes on Sonny's own brown ones. "Anyways, I was just wondering, because I know how much you want to kiss Chad."

Sonny slipped on her shoes and stalked over to the door. "I do not want to kiss Chad, Tawni," she insisted, her voice raising an octave. "C'mon, let's go."

"Denial," Tawni muttered under breath, smiling at the ridiculousness of it all. She shook her head slightly and followed Sonny out the door. "It's more than just a river in Egypt."

*

Sonny couldn't help thinking about what Tawni had said in their dressing room. Honestly, she did want to kiss Chad. She'd wanted to kiss Chad ever since he danced with her at the end of her secret prom. But she also _didn't_ want to kiss Chad. Because what would happen if she got caught up in the moment, and kissed him, only he didn't return her feelings? Not only would she be embarrassed, but things would always be awkward between them after that. And she looked forward to their daily arguments more than she would ever admit aloud. Which led her to believe that there was only one way to both enjoy the party and escape unscathed (and unkissed), and that was to avoid Chad Dylan Cooper. At all costs.

"Sonny?" Tawni's voice snapped her out of her musings, and she started at the snap back into reality. "Are you okay?"

Sonny shook her head slightly, trying to clear her thoughts. "Oh, um, yeah, I'm fine, Tawn. Why?"

"Because you've been spaced out there for the past 5 minutes. Hey, do you mind if I go out on the dance floor?" Tawni asked, her eyes locked on a sandy-haired boy who was joking around with his friends. Sonny followed her gaze and smiled. They had only just arrived at the party, and Tawni already had her eye on someone.

She shook her head and hooked her thumb over in the direction of the snack table. "No no no. Go ahead, I'm gonna go and get a snack, alright?"

Tawni nodded absentmindedly and started to dance her way across the dance-floor, getting closer to the sandy-haired boy with every step. Sonny headed over to the snack table, and, after surveying the possible refreshments, picked up a cookie and started to nibble on the edges.

"Hey Munroe," a familiar voice behind her said. It startled her, causing her to drop her cookie in surprise.

"Chad," she growled, whirling around to face the blonde heartthrob. Her insides had turned to jelly, and there were all different species of insects flying around in her stomach, but Sonny wasn't going to let any of that show. She was an actress, after all. "You made me drop my cookie!"

"So here," he picked up another cookie from the platter and held it out to her. "Take this one."

She looked down at the cookie in his hands. "No thanks. I didn't want the chocolate chips, I wanted the sprinkles."

Chad looked down at the cookie in his hand and shrugged before popping it in his mouth. "Your loss," he said through a mouthful of cookie crumbs. He chewed and swallowed, and had just opened his mouth to say something when Sonny caught sight on the giant clock at the front of the room; 11:45.

"Oh!" she squeaked. "I have to go...umm...away from here. I wasn't that hungry anyways. See ya, Chad!" She hastily fled the scene, leaving a confused Chad behind her. Once she was a safe distance away, Sonny let out a huge sigh of relief. All she had to do was stay away from Chad for another 15 minutes, and then she would be home free.

"Sonny?"

This time, she didn't even turn around. "Oh, umm, sorry Chad, I can't stay and talk right now. I need to umm...umm...go to the bathroom!"

She rushed out of the room and ran around the studio until she found the bathroom. Flinging open the door, she ran inside and looked at herself in the mirror, supporting her weight on her hands that were grasping the edge of the counter. She took a minute to calm down, and then looked at her reflection in the eye.

"C'mon, Sonny, you can do this," she said quietly. She nodded to reassure herself and then slowly straightened up and walked out of the bathroom. The clock was going to strike midnight in 5 minutes, and then after that, she'd be able to relax.

"Sonny? Is there a reason why you're avoiding me?"

She jumped at the sound of Chad's voice and turned to find him leaning against the wall next to the bathroom. When he realized that she had seen him, he pushed off of the wall and walked over to her, consequently making her step back. They continued in this manner until Sonny felt the hard wall against her back, causing her to gasp in surprise. Chad planted his hands on the wall, trapping Sonny so that she couldn't run away again.

"What? I'm not avoiding you, Chad," Sonny squeaked out. She cleared her throat before trying again. There wasn't that much time until the New Year, and she was _certain_ that if she was caught in this position at the stroke of midnight, she wouldn't be able to control herself. She would fling her arms around Chad's shoulders and capture his mouth with hers. She couldn't run the risk of that happening, so she had to get out. Now.

"Sonny, I'm not stupid. All I want to know it why."

She opened her mouth to answer, but was cut off by the loud cheers and screams coming from the party.

"7...6...5...4...,"

She squirmed and tried to duck out of his grasp, but she didn't let her, instead planting his hands more firmly against the wall. "Chad, can we not do this _now_, please."

"3...2...1!! Happy New Year!!"

Before Sonny knew what was happening, Chad crashed his lips down over hers. She tried to ignore the fireworks that were exploding behind her closed eyes, but she couldn't. She tried to ignore the bird's singing in her ears, but she couldn't. The electrical current and even the tingling, she couldn't ignore. She couldn't ignore anything, because it was all perfect. It was everything that she had dreamt, and yet still, more. Much, much more.

When they broke apart, Chad rested his forehead against Sonny's, and small smile playing at his lips.

"That's why," Sonny said quietly, staring into his blue eyes.

"That's why what?"

"That's why I was avoiding you. I didn't want to do _that_."

Chad recoiled from her, a look of hurt flashing across his face. "You didn't want to kiss me?"

Sonny rolled her eyes and took his hands in hers, intertwining their fingers together. "No, I did want to kiss you. Which was why I didn't want to kiss you. I didn't think that you would have felt the same way that I feel. I thought that you would get mad."

He pulled her into a hug and kissed the top of her head. "Never. I love you, Sonny Munroe."

"I love you too, Chad Dylan Cooper."

"You know," Chad looked down at Sonny, a mischievous sparkle in his eyes. "They say that whatever you do at the stroke of midnight, you'll continue doing throughout the whole year."

Sonny rolled her eyes. "Oh, lucky me," she said dryly, before flashing a smile at Chad to let him know that she was kidding.

"No...lucky _me_," Chad said softly, before pulling her in for another kiss.

* * *

"And that, Chad, is why we have to invite Mr. Condor to our wedding. It was his party that got together in the first place, so it's only polite," Sonny slid another envelope on top of the pile and turned to face Chad, smiling.

He sighed and picked the pen up once more. "Fine, Mr. Condor can be invited. But what about Portlyn?"

* * *

**Sorry about any potential typos. My arm is really paining me, and I have no idea why.**


End file.
